This invention relates to controllable missiles, and, more particularly, to a missile with deployable control fins.
Some types of guidable armaments, such as guided missiles, utilize two or four control fins to effect the guidance of the missile. The control fins project outwardly from the sides of the missile during self-controlled flight. The control fins typically have a symmetric airfoil shape that is oriented edge-on or slightly upwardly inclined to the air flow when the missile is flying in a straight line. To change the flight path, the control fins are slightly reoriented, singly or in groups, by the aircraft's control system. One approach to mounting and orienting the control fins is to carry the control fins on shafts that project at right angles to the axis of the body of the missile. The attitude of the control fin to the air flow is changed by rotating the shafts by small amounts.
The control fins project outwardly from the sides of the missile when the missile is in self-controlled flight. It is desirable in many cases that the control fins be positioned against the body of the missile during storage and mounting in a vehicle or aircraft, prior to use. This stowed position of the control fins reduces the effective diameter of the missile, permitting more missiles to be stored and/or carried in a limited space. It also reduces the likelihood of damage to the control fins or their mechanisms during storage and handling.
Thus, it is known to fold the control fins against the sides of the missile body during storage and handling; and to deploy the control fins to an extended position shortly after the launch of the missile. Various relatively complex mechanisms have been developed to permit the fins to be folded, deployed, locked into the deployed position, and thereafter to be moved (usually rotated) by an actuator system. Mechanisms have also been known to permit rotational deployment of wings that are stationary and not moved by an actuator after deployment.
The more complex is the mechanism, the heavier it tends to be, the more prone to failures, and the more expensive. Moreover, the complex deployment mechanisms typically occupy a relatively large volume, a significant disadvantage because of the limited space available within the bodies of most missiles. There is a need for a simple, reliable, compact mechanism for supporting, deploying, locking, and controllably moving control fins of missiles. The present invention fulfills this need; and further provides related advantages.